Railway stock-guard



(No Model.)

Z. WIGGS.

RAILWAY STOCK GUARD.

No. 579,507. Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

THE NQRRVS PEYERS c0 wow-urns WASHINGTON. n. c.

llnirnn STATES TFFIQE.

PATENT RAILWAY STOCK=GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,507, dated March 23, 1897. Application filed August 19, 1896. Serial No. 603,238. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZEPH WIGGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denton, in the county of Denton and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway Stock-Guards, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in railway stock-guards.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of surface stockguards and to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient one which will be adapted to be operated by stock approaching it in either direction, and which when stepped upon will rise up from the center in front of the stock, scare them off, and prevent them from passing over it.

i A further object of the invention is to provide a stocleguard which will automatically.

assume its normal posit-ion after the pressure exerted by an animal stepping on it has been removed, and which will not catch an animal and hold him fast should such animal jump beyond the pivotal point of the sections, and therefore will not expose a train to be wrecked by an animal caught in the stocleguard in attempting to pass from one farm or inclosure into another.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a railway stock-guard constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view.

Like numerals of reference designate cor responding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

1 designates pivoted plates or sections arranged at the inner and outer sides of the rails of a track and disposed in pairs, the members of each pair being arranged end to end and adapted to have their outer ends depressed, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings, to swing their inner portions upward to scare stock and prevent them from crossing the guard. Each section or plate is supported bya pair of inner and outer transverse rods 2 and 3, and it is provided at its lower face with metal straps 4., forming eyes to receive the outer transverse rod 3, whereby it is hinged to the same. The inner portion of each section or plate rests loosely upon the inner transverse rod 2, so that the plate or section is adapted to swing upward freely when its outer portion is depressed by the weight of an animal attempting to pass over the stock-guard.

The transverse rods are mounted on vertical flanges 5 of angle-bars 6, which are provided with perforations to receive the said rods, and the latter are secured in the perforations by means of nuts 8, arranged on the terminals of the rods, which are threaded. The angle-plates are spiked or otherwise secured to the upper faces of the cross-ties, as shown, and a pair of angle-bars is preferably arranged at the outer side of each rail and between the rails. panying drawings, four plates or sections 1 are arranged in the space between the rails, but it will be readily apparent that the plates or sections may be made twice the size shown, in order to employ only a single pair between the rails.

The plates or sections of the cattle-guard are provided with outwardly-extending upwardly-inclined spurs or projections 9, Which are preferably triangular and which are struck up from the metal of the plates or sections in order to provide a rough surface for the cattle-guard to deter animals attempting to cross it. The spurs or projections 9 are located between the outer transverse rods 3 of each pair of plates or sections, and the outer portions of such plates or, sections are made smooth to avoid injuring animals stepping upon the cattle-guard.

It will be seen that the railway stock-guard is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction, that it possesses great strength and durability, and that it is capable of effectually preventing stock from passing from one field or inclosure into another by way of a railroad-track. It will also be apparent that the plates or sections are adapted to rise up in front of an animal attempting to cross it from either direction, and that it is capable As illustrated in the accon1- of scaring the stock off. Furthermore, it will be seen that should an animal jump upon the stock-guard beyond the pivot-rods it will not become caught and held fast, but Will be permitted to leave the guard, and that should an animal be thrown down upon the stock-guard by a train it Will be pushed over the same Without becoming caught and Wrecking the train.

WVhat I claim is 1. A railway stock-guard comprising a series of plates or sections, arranged in pairs and provided with smooth outer portions and having projections at their inner portions forming rough surfaces to prevent stock from Walking upon the inner portions of the plates, said plates or sections being pivoted between their ends and adapted to have their outer portions engaged and depressed by stock Walking upon them, whereby the inner portions of the plates or sections will be caused to rise, substantially as and for the purpose and loosely resting upon the inner ones, said plates or sections being provided With smooth outer portions and roughened inner portions, substantially as and for the purpose described. 7

Witness 1n yhand this 14th day of August, A. D. 1896.

ZEPH VVIGGS.

Witnesses:

R. L. BAss, A. F. OLARDY. 

